Russell Crowe Xbox 360
Imagine if, every time you glanced at your Xbox 360, it shouted "Are you not entertained?!" This custom-made 360 is as close as you could ever get to living out that magnificent fantasy. That's because it's got Russell Crowe's mug airbrushed right onto the side of it, complete with a signature from the Oscar-winning actor himself. This was one of 31 custom-painted 360s that were auctioned off to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation in Australia. And yes, all of them were painted with the same not-quite-right interpretation of celebrity likenesses.
All the designs were modeled after Australian celebs; this particular model garnered $1005 at auction in 2007, though it's likely worth ten times that by now. But we feel like we've already received the best gift of all: the above picture of Crowe posing with his portrait on a 360. Just look at how happy he is.
Mother-Of-Pearl Xbox 360
When Bill Gates himself commissions an Xbox design specifically with you in mind, it means that you're kind of a big deal. Like, "President of South Korea" status. Gates gave this sleek custom console to former South Korean president Lee Myung-bak as a gift during a face-to-face meeting. This custom-made 360 comes emblazoned with rainbow, Abalone-looking floral designs in the style of traditional Korean jewelry.
Microsoft apparently commissioned 100 of these, but we only know of three lucky owners: Gates himself, the aforementioned Myung-bak, and the design's creator, artist Kim Young-jun (pictured above). So yeah--unless you're a head of state or a close friend of Bill "Good Guy" Gates, you're not getting one of these.
S.T.A.R.S. Dreamcast
It's common knowledge that, if you own one of these spiffy Japan-only Dreamcasts, you are required by law to shout "I'm a member of S.T.A.R.S.!" upon entering a room. In 2000, to commemorate the success of the Resident Evil/BioHazard franchise and the release of CODE: Veronica, Sega produced a pair of limited edition Dreamcasts. There was a translucent pinkish-red Claire model, of which 1800 were produced, and the solid blue S.T.A.R.S. version you see above, which had an absurdly scant unit count of 200.
These would be the crown jewel in the collections of any hardcore fans of the Redfield siblings and the Racoon City PD. It'll take a lot of luck--and money--to find one these days, but they are out there; Sega distributed them via Dreamcast Direct (think Club Nintendo, but with Sega) and contests in popular Japanese gaming mag Famitsu.
Seaman Christmas Dreamcast
Seaman was a downright bizarre pet owning simulator, featuring some of the most horrific, onscreen reproductive processes imaginable. You might not think much of it, beyond repulsions at the thought of fish with human faces. But in Japan, Seaman's existence led to the creation of not one, but two limited edition Dreamcasts. If that wasn't weird enough, this festive-looking Dreamcast somehow makes a link between monstrous human-fish hybrids and the holiday cheer of Christmas.
Finding one of these consoles in the box (good luck, as only 850 were produced) is like a two-for-one collector's deal. That's because this Dreamcast came packaged with the Christmas Seaman version of the game, which was only on sale for a mere 10 days. In it, you could receive a special Christmas message from a Santa-hat-wearing manfish. If that's a thing you've ever wanted.
Maziora Dreamcast
This is basically as close as we'll ever come to a Dreamcast mood ring. Maziora is but one of many names for ChromaFlair, a pigment used primarily to paint cars. What's fascinating about this special coating is that it can seemingly change color before your eyes, depending on the viewing angle and light source. We imagine that seeing one of the Maziora Dreamcasts in person is mind-boggling, because your brain could register it as being green, purple, blue, or gold. That's insane.
Sadly, that'll probably never happen--it's estimated that only 500 were made, many of which were given to actual racecar drivers as prizes. Sure, we could just spray-paint an ordinary Dreamcast with pearlescent coating, but it just wouldn't be the same.
Gundam RX-78 Custom Edition Dreamcast
If you're a collector of all things Gundam, then you're probably leading a very hard life. We don't mean that as a dig--it's just that so many consoles have had Gundam-related limited edition runs, all of which seem to be made in mercilessly small quantities. Take this Dreamcast, for instance: only 78 of these beauties were produced, colored in the same style as the chestpiece for the instantly recognizable RX-78 Gundam model.
Your only hopes of acquiring one involve murdering your wallet; this extremely limited console has been auctioned off at prices ranging from $2,000 to $9,000 bucks. For that much moolah, you might as well buy and build hundreds of miniature Gundam models instead.
Men In Black PlayStation
The good guys dress in black; remember that, just in case we come face to face and make contact. We must've been hit with a Neuralyzer at some point, because we have absolutely no memory of any Men In Black-branded PlayStation games (or, more likely, it was crappy and entirely forgettable). But the movie tie-in led to the creation of an elusive curiosity for Sony console collectors: an all-black PlayStation with the MIB logo on the lid of the disc tray.
It's unclear how many of these are out in the wild, but suffice it to say that they are extremely difficult to find. Much like any real-life sightings of an extraterrestrial, nobody would believe you even if you did see one.
10 Million Model PlayStation
How do you celebrate the sale of 10,000,000 PlayStation consoles? Make another model! Also known as the Midnight Blue PS1, this highly elusive limited edition was given away in 1998 to commemorate the smashing success of Sony's 32-bit console. It's been said that only 100 of these were given out for each region, so essentially there was less than a 0.01% chance that anyone in the existing PS1 install base would win one.
To up the rarity ante even further, Sony also made a golden PS1 to celebrate their 10-million-sold landmark. We imagine that if you somehow find it and pick it up without the proper counterweight, a giant boulder will come crashing down on top of you.
Hatsune Miku Project DIVA PS Vita
You don't have to exist as a physical being to become a pop sensation overseas. Whereas we have Beyonce and Taylor Swift, the Vocaloid synthesizer program produced the pigtailed, anthropomorphic mascot Hatsune Miku, who quickly became a cultural icon in Japan. To hype up the release of her handheld rhythm game, Sony and Sega teamed up to create this enviable, crystal white PS Vita as a bundle with Project DIVA.
There's no denying that this Vita is gorgeous, with custom artwork on the front and back panels. But you've got to love this virtual idol with all your heart to get your hands on this limited edition system, considering that they're being auctioned for over $1000 on eBay.
Snow White PlayStation 2
Despite the name, this PS2 has nothing to do with Disney properties. Rather, this all-white PS2, whose color is also known as Ceramic, is part of an elusive bunch of albino consoles--because figuring out if you're buying the real thing is insanely difficult. It appears identical in nearly every way to the white, classic PS2 model which was bundled with Gran Turismo 4 Prologue. The key difference is in the gloss, which has a reflective, mirror-like finish. Have fun trying to discern that with only grainy eBay photos as reference.
It should be noted that this is the "fatty" version of the PS2; while still rare, the slim version of the white PS2 is easier to acquire by comparison. Either way, you're going to spend a lot if you want to display one of these in your own home.
